The Order-Ahead Hack To Skip The Line At Costco Food Courts

Orderly queues are a tale as long as time. But even the most fervent of queue-endorsers would be tempted to skip the lines at Costco's food courts. It's not just the wait times (usually 15 minutes once you place an order) but the disorganized chaos to contend with, like accidentally reassigned pizzas and late schedules. Instead of skipping Costco cravings due to hefty-looking lines, use this simple order-ahead hack: Call in before arriving at the store.

It's so obvious that you'll kick yourself for not thinking of it earlier. It's one of the main Costco food court hacks you should know. A quick Google search is enough to reveal that not-so-elusive local food court number. Call, place the order ahead of time, and pay on arrival — instantly grabbing your ready-and-waiting meal. Try not to look too smug as you waltz past the customers waiting on their orders. The only caveat is remembering to select the phone order option at the digital checkout kiosks. Forget that, and you run the risk of joining the back of the queue.

In an ideal world, everyone is organized enough to remember to phone in Costco food court orders ahead of time. But we get it; you're human. What if you've missed the boat and are already walking Costco's frozen aisles? Or you're craving a slice of pizza or a hot dog on the spur of the moment? There are last-minute methods of getting speedier food court orders. The final-hour Costco hack that might save you time in the food court line is placing orders with the checkout cashier. Finish shopping and run the order through when paying for your groceries. With the receipt in hand, head straight to the food court pick-up to claim the order. This strategy is slick, a knife through butter.

As for serving sizes? In what's likely music to hungry ears, the size of your order is no longer a factor in wait time. The digital kiosk eliminates the previous practice of preparing single-slice pizzas over larger orders. Instead, it organizes wait time on a first-come-first-serve basis. In a strategic attempt to streamline operations, it's part of the new Costco court ordering system that many shoppers find irritating and slightly stressful. Forget the yelled-out numbers system; placing smaller orders no longer means whizzing out faster. Still, at least you can order a whole pizza without considering it a time sacrifice. Why not go ahead and pick the larger portion?